Hoping to impress consumers (and possibly secure a major military contract or two), Beretta has introduced the APX, a new striker-fired 9mm handgun. The APX borrows elements from the Glock, HK VP9, and S&W M&P pistols. The grip looks very ergonomic, with an extended rear overhang on the top (like the M&P) and contoured grooves on the front (like the VP9). The most distinctive feature of the new Beretta would be the prominent machined ridges on the slide designed to aid in racking the pistol.

The APX is built with a chassis system. This means that the internal sub-frame is the serialized part. The new APX features a reversible, ambidextrous magazine release. The magazines themselves have a prominent plate on the bottom for easier insertion/extraction. To better fit various hand sizes, three different backstrap inserts can be fitted to the grip.

Beretta hopes many of the world’s armies will adopt this new pistol, which was released at IDEX (International Defense Exhibition & Conference) in late February. According to Gear Scout:

“The pistol is designed specifically for the military market, and Beretta says it’s destined to become the company’s entry into the Army’s Modular Handgun System. But, the Army has yet to release the final requirements for that program to industry. The US Army contract might be the gold rush of pistol contracts, but it’s not the only tender happening at the moment. No doubt, getting the APX out at IDEX was a way to show worldwide (and cash-flush Middle East) defense ministers the major features of the pistol while the company finishes up development on the US military/LE and eventual commercial configurations that will hit the US market soon.”

Here’s a dream gun industry job for a skilled engineer. Weatherby, one of America’s leading firearms manufacturers, is seeking an experienced Design Engineer. The Design Engineer is responsible for the development of new and existing firearms products, and equipment from concept to production. This includes R&D, design, testing, troubleshooting, improvements, procedure development, and documentation.

If you have an engineering degree and at least six (6) years of experience in firearms design and product development, you may want to apply for this job at Weatherby’s facility in Paso Robles, CA. Weatherby offers competitive compensation with healthcare and 401K plans. As for the venue, we can assure potential candidates that Paso Robles is a great place to live and work. (There are some great shooting ranges nearby.) If you are interested, and meet the guidelines, send a cover letter and current resume to Jalene John, jjohn [at] weatherby.com .

Additional Qualification requirements include the following:

· CAD experience in two-dimensional drafting and three-dimensional solid design. Extensive experience with SolidWorks CAD software. A high level of proficiency is required.